Last week’s fire at Readymade Centre in Sodepur has prompted the state government to form a five-member committee to assess the fire prevention arrangements in large shops and malls across the city.

The committee, comprising officials of the urban development and fire services departments, will submit its report to the government in a month.

“The committee will write to the municipalities and corporations in the city, asking civic officials to visit large shops and malls in their areas. The members will collate the information collected into a report, based on which action will be taken against those violating the law,” said finance minister Asim Dasgupta.

The decision to constitute the committee was taken after a meeting in his chamber at Writers’ Buildings on Tuesday. Fire services minister Pratim Chatterjee and urban development minister Asok Bhattacharya attended the meeting.

According to Dasgupta, the government will cancel the trade licences of shops that have not taken steps to prevent fires, demolish buildings that have come up flouting norms and withhold completion certificates to structures without adequate safeguards.

The government is considering a proposal to compensate the kin of the 13 people who died in Friday’s fire, added the finance minister. The cost of treatment of the injured will be borne by the government.

The fire services department has made it mandatory for firemen to wear protective gear during rescue operations after some of them were injured on Friday.